Telefónica prepares for smart cities with 5G trials in two Spanish locations

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Spanish telecommunications giant Telefónica has begun 5G trials in the cities of Segovia and Talavera de la Reina, in partnership with Nokia and Ericsson.

The cities will be converted into ’5G living laboratories’ over the next three years for testing services, business models, and technologies relating to the upcoming mobile standard.

In Segovia, Nokia was chosen as the partner of choice for its ‘unique’ end-to-end product portfolio. In Talvera de la Reina, Ericsson was selected for its work on 5G standards.

Luis Miguel Gilpérez, Telefonica Spain CEO, says:

“With the 5G Technological Cities project, Telefónica is turning the technology of the future into reality and providing a constant service for people.

This is why we will perform the technological deployment and use cases in parallel, so that we will serve people with the new technologies, one of Telefónica’s clear objectives.”

Citizens of these cities will benefit from having early access to some of the new possibilities enabled by 5G networks. Telefónica is working with SEAT and FICOSA on connected car applications, and with tourism agencies on virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) services.

Other areas being explored include the automation and digitisation of industrial processes, fixed radio access in rural areas, health, and drone control.

Meanwhile, Ericsson will continue its trials elsewhere such as its ongoing tests in central London with Vodafone.

José Antonio López, Chairman of Ericsson España, comments:

“5G technology will have an enormous impact on the user experience and the digital transformation of our cities and industries. Ericsson is already working with more than 35 partners throughout the world to develop use cases to prepare the connected cities of the future.”

Nokia, for its part, is holding similar trials in Bristol, UK.

What are your thoughts on Telefónica’s latest 5G trials? Let us know in the comments.

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